Coq d'Argent

French Restaurant in The City
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7 / 10 from 4 reviews
Address
1 Poultry
The City
London
EC2R 8EJ
Map
Telephone
020 7395 5000
Cuisine
French
Other Branches
Conran Restaurants
Region
The City
Nearest Station
Bank
0.09 miles
Opening Summary
Restaurant :
Breakfast: 7.30am - 10am
Lunch: Monday - Friday 11.30am - 3pm
Sunday 12noon - 3pm
Dinner: Monday - Friday 6pm - 10pm
Saturday 6.30pm - 10pm
Restaurant Facilities

Disabled Facilities

Children Welcome

Credit Cards Accepted

Music Played

Outdoor Area

Booking Advisable

As well as being a favourite restaurant for City bankers, they branch out with voga sessions - that's yoga and vogueing in one for fans of Madonna and meditation

All In London

Perched on the roof of No.1 Poultry, with views over the famous Square Mile, the elegant eatery Coq d'Argent offers diners the finest French cuisine in the most lavish of surroundings, with one of the most remarkable roof gardens in London.

All In London Review

Coq d’Argent is archetypical City restaurant

Coq d’Argent is an archetypical city restaurant - located above Bank station, it’s packed to the rafters with very loud, very drunk middle-aged American bankers, and equally lairy, inebriated, middle aged British bankers, while others are keen to impress their dates with food that’s “reassuringly” expensive.

Which it certainly is. The brandade, a starter that is essentially a cod fish cake with a bit of Parmesan and dried beef, is priced at £9.50. The mushroom parfait requires a bit more effort; it’s a creamy, gelatinous cube with earthy flavours and the warm, rich musk of truffle dressing, but it’s also just under a tenner for a small slab, served with mini cubes of pickled veg.

For the mains we have the cabillaud, a hunk of cod that has a lovely meaty texture, but suffers from overzealous salting, and comes with fennel, a few shellfish and a rich olive oil mash. The ostentatious rossini pairs a fillet of beef with pan fried foie gras, sautéed wild mushrooms and more truffles - it is their season after all. It’s a splurge at £39, but it hits the spot.

Another selling point of Coq d’Argent is of course the view; we’re on the top floor of the poultry
building so the Gherkin and St. Paul’s Cathedral are straight ahead. There’s an outdoor bar with a lawned terrace open for alfresco dining all year round, kitted out with heaters for the winter. On a more grisly note, in the last five years four people have committed suicide here by plunging to their deaths from this very terrace - tragic for them, their families, and for the restaurant.

Part of the D&D stable, the restaurant has been going for over a decade and has had the same chef, Mickael Weiss, ever since. It’s been pleasing city folk since its inception, although it’s not quite the same if you have shallow pockets.

Reviewed by Leila on Jan 2, 2014
Published on Dec 11, 2013


Most people come here for a seat on the terrace and the views..

Right next to Bank station this is in the heart of the City and ideal for expense account business lunches. I have been there just for drinks (the bar area is large) and for social evenings with friends who live in Docklands.

You have to know where you are going. The entrance is via one of two lifts that whisk you up from the foyer of the arcade in Bucklersbury Passage. You emerge from the lift and take a short walk to the entrance.

The restaurant is immense and the tables are reasonably spaced out although in some parts you are just a little too close for comfort to adjoining diners.

The menu is extensive – starters include things like seared scallops (£11.75), smoked salmon and blinis (£11) and, my favourite, the crab at £12.50. There is lots of shellfish – and you can have 6, 9 or 12 oysters (from Colchester for the Essex fans). The fruits de mer selections always look appealing, but I am never brave enough or have sufficient time for them. There are some good fish mains (red mullet or tuna at around £18.50) and the meaty selection is typically French – for example, pigeon (£19.50) and duck (£18.75) with sides at a reasonable £3.75 to £4.50.

There are fixed price menus – two courses at £24 and three courses at £29 and there is the five course tasting menu at £42.50 – if you have the time, the appetite and the space in your waistband.

Most people come here for a seat on the terrace and the views. And I recommend this as it's fabulous. If you can’t stretch to the expense of eating here then at least come for a drink and admire the view over the heart of our City. And you can smoke outside on the terrace – just pray for good weather…

Reviewed by KimT
Published on Aug 5, 2008


In The News

Yacht d'Argent arrives at Coq d'Argent

A Riviera-inspired oasis at popular City restaurant

Children's menu at Coq d'Argent

a new seasonally changing menu especially designed for the younger generation with a sophisticated palate

Best For

Our favourite alfresco dining restaurants picture

Our favourite alfresco dining restaurants

It's nice to eat out... when it's not piddling down

This restaurant has a mixture of vintage French fare such as sole meunière and coq au vin, and contemporary dishes like grilled tuna with sweet and sour aubergine compote. There are no less than two terraces and a rooftop, all offering great views of St. Paul’s Cathedral and beyond.

Take in London's best views as you eat picture

Take in London's best views as you eat

These really are the best backdrops to any meal.

There’s a classic French menu at this D&D-owned restaurant, which also boasts a heated terrace and roof garden, from where you can spy on the hurried population of the Square Mile.

London's best winter terraces picture

London's best winter terraces

Warm your cockles when it's cold out there...

The views of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Gherkin are reason enough to visit the terrace of this popular City restaurant, but in the winter it’s even more appealing after being transformed into French ski chalet Lodge d’Argent.Après-ski dishes like raclette are available.

Things to Try

Take part in the latest dance craze: yoga + vogueing = Voga! picture

Take part in the latest dance craze: yoga + vogueing = Voga!

Strike a pose... (there's nothing to it)
Read more

User Reviews

Checkersx

Mar 12, 2014

Great place if you fancy a treat or somewhere special. Love the views and atmosphere. Best of all the food.
ChrisScott

Jul 25, 2006

Review picture
This place has a great setting, great decor and a nice chilled out crowd. Which is why it's such a shame that it's let down so woefully by it's TERRIBLE staff. The outside bar seems to be staffed by the same moronic pair every time. Tweedledum and tweedledumber - they have no interest in serving and move at a snail's pace, no matter how busy the bar is. Which is normally pretty busy during the summer, especially in the weather we've been having recently.

The service when sitting down at the outside tables is no better. My girlfriend and I tried, unsuccessfully, to order some food for 40 minutes before eventually giving up in disgust.

Note: I haven't tried inside. It may be b
finegcia

Jun 17, 2005

What an amazing experience! Was brought out my boss as a way of thank-U, excellent service from start to finish! we were made to feel very special, we enjoyed an outdoor table which was fab! food was really delicious, was also very impressed by the knowledgeable waiters on the choice of wine with each of our choice of mains/dessert!
Will definitely be returning!
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